Hoist



F. CASELLA May 14, 1963 HOIST 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 23, 1961 INVENTOR. fiw/zimo 61455107 /Z/Mlw I 14 M HTTOR NE y F. CASELLA May 14, 1963 HOIST 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 23, 1961 INVENTOR.

7 if/9M1! (1955 14 United States Patent 3,089,599 H0181 Francesco Casella, 3044 Albany Crescent, Bronx, NY. Filed May 23, 1961, Ser. No. 111,937 6 Claims. ((11. 214-1) This invention relates to material hand-ling hoists primarily for lifting and holding sheet material, such as wall board panels.

The hoist of the invention is designed for one-man operation and enables a single Workman to lift a large wall board panel to a desired height, for example to a ceiling, and to hold it firmly in proper position while the workman free to use his hands fior nailing the panel in place. The hoist is easily adjusted to lift the material over a range of heights, and is portable.

In its broadest aspect, the hoist of the invention comprises a vertically arranged hollow post or mast mounted on a suitable support and adapted to be easily and quickly removed therefrom. The post is provided with a vertically adjustable panel support arm which may be adjusted to lifit material to varying heights. This panel support arm is pivotally or hingedly mounted at one end to a member which is movable within a slot or a channel in the vertical post in such a way that the support arm can be made to collapse when it is not in use. A foldable brace linking the panel support arm and the movable member serves to maintain the panel support arm in a horizontal position when it is desired to lift and hold ma terial in position for use. A cable or chain trained about a pulley positioned in the upper part of the vertical post is fastened at one end to the lower portion of the member which is movable within the channel to thereby enable the entire unit consisting of movable member, panel support arm and foldable brace to be raised or lowered. Means are provided for releasably retaining the unit containing the panel support arm in any position over the range of heights to which it may be moved. It is preferred that the vertical post and the elements of the unit be made from a lightweight material, such as aluminum.

Because the vertical post or mast is designed to be easily and simply removable from its support, and the panel support arm is collapsible against the vertical post, the hoist is easily portable, relatively compact when assembled fior use or disassembled, and lends itself for one-man operation.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the support for the vertical post is a saw-horse which is provided with a vertically movable frame for supporting a plank or platform on which the workman can stand. To form a complete scailold, two similar such saw-horses across which the platform can be placed are required. The sawhorse is provided with a slot and board arrangement for enabling the vertical post to become securely but removably attached thereto merely by the simple operation of lowering or raising the post, respectively. Another feature of the saw-horse which is described hereinafter enables the vertical post to be supported from either end of the horse but at respectively different heights from the floor on which the horse rests.

A more detailed description of the invention follows, in conjunction with a drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hoist of the invention in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section through the vertical post or mast showing in detail the mechanismfor raising and lowering the panel support mm;

FIG. 3 is a top or plan view of the vertical post or mast;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a scafiold employing a pair of hoists as shown in FIG. 1;

- FIGS. 5 and 6 show two difierent easily removable material supporting accessories which can be mounted on the panel support arm when it is in the horizontal position;

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the hoist of the invention; and

FIG. 8 shows an end view of FIG. 1, as seen from the right-hand side of FIG. 1, when the post 10 is in the location shown in phantom in FIG. 1.

Throughout the figures of the drawing the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

The hoist of FIG. 1 comprises a hollow metallic rectangular post 10 having a channel along one edge over an appreciable portion of the length of the post and communicating with the interior of said post through a slot. Vertically movable within this channel there is provided an elongated angle iron member 12 to one end 14 of which there is hingedly fastened an elongated panel support arm 16. Ann 16 is also in the form of an angle iron and in one position is collapsible against the iron member 12 while in its other position the arm 16 is horizontal, note FIG. 2, for supporting material to be lifted by the hoist. To maintain the panel arm 16 in the horizontal position there is provided a foldable brace consisting of two metallic links 18 and 20 which are hingedly connected to each other at 22. Link 18 is also hingedly connected at one end to the movable angle iron member 12 at point 24. Link 20 is also hingedly connected at one end to the panel support arm 16 at point 26. When the links 18 and 20' are aligned in the same straight line for maintaining the panel arm 16 firmly secured horizontally, they are held in this aligned position by a bolt or screw 28 which enters holes 31 in both links, which holes register with each other in the aligned position of the links. If a threaded bolt is used, a suitable threaded nut can be employed for use therewith. The dot-dash or phantom position of the links 18 and 20 in FIG. 1 shows one position of the links and arm 16 when the bolt or screw 28 has been removed from the holes and when the unit consisting of member 12, arm 16 and links 18 and 20 is being collapsed against the post or being opened up to assume the solid line position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The free end of panel support arm 16 is provided with a rotatable wheel 28 mounted therein to enable sheet material, such as a wall board panel to be easily slid over the arm 16 from the wheel end thereof when the arm 16 is firmly secured in its horizontal position. For releasably retaining the angle iron member 12 and panel sup port arm 16 in any vertical position over the range of heights to which they may be moved, there is provided within the hollow post 10' a cable or chain 30 which is trained about a pulley 32 afiixed to the upper end of the post 10 and attached at one end 34 to the lower end of the angle iron member 12 also at a point within the interior of the hollow post 10. The other end of the cable or chain 30 is wound about a spool 36 secured to a combination gear and ratchet wheel '38 positioned within the post 10 and aligned transversely of the length of the post. Another gear 40 also aligned transversely of the post engages gear 38 and causes it to move in response to the turning of a hand crank ;42. The gears 38 and 40' are journaled in hearings, in the side walls of the post 10. A dog or pawl is pivotally mounted to engage the ratchet wheel 36 and prevent it from rotation in one direction when the cable 30 is to be wound upon the spool 36 for the purpose of raising member 12 and panel support arm 16. The dog holds the wheel in a cable-unwinding direction until such time as the dog is manually swung out of engagement with the wheel. The vertical movement of the member 12 is indicated by the bi-di-rectional arrow adjacent this member.

The post or mast 10 is provided at its lower part with hook-like metallic elements bolted or riveted to the post.

Two of these hooks 44 are located on one side of the post and spaced one above the other, while the other hook 46 is located on the other side of the post 10 and below the other hooks 44. The purpose of these hooks is to firmly hold the post to the portable saw-horse or frame support 50.

The saw-horse is provided, in addition to the conventionally arranged oppositely disposed Vshaped legs, with horizontal cross-braces 52, a raised shelf 54, and a transverse brace 56. The top horizontal element 59 of the saw-horse and to which the V-shaped legs are secured, is provided near opposite ends with longitudinally arranged slots into which one of the hooks 44 on post 10 can enter for the purpose of anchoring the post to the saw horse. The transverse brace 56 is provided with an aperture of sufficient size to permit the lower end of the post 10 to pass therethrough and have the bottom of the post rest on the shelf 54. The lower hook 46 on post 10 engages and fits over the upper edge of one of the horizontal cross-braces 52 as shown.

It should be observed that only the left side of the sawhorse 50 is provided with a cross-brace 56. The right side of the saw-horse lacks such a transverse cross-brace but the shelf 54 is provided at its right side with an aperture 58 of sufficient size to permit the lower end of a post 10 to pass through the shelf so that the bottom of the post can rest on the floor or ground. It should be noted that only a part of a post 10 has been shown in phantom on the right side of the saw-horse 50. This is because only one post 10 is adapted to be used at any one time with a saw-horse. If the post It) occupies the left side of the saw-horse, as shown, there will be no post on the right side of the saw-horse. Conversely, if the post 10 occopies the position shown in phantom on the right side of the saw-horse then there will be no post 10 on the left side. Only a portion of post 10 has been shown in phantom in FIG. 1 in the interest of simplicity of illustration and not to detract from the clarity of the drawing, but it should be understood that the post 10 is of the same construction whether used at the left or right of the sawhorse. The post 10 in solid lines at the left and the phantorn post 10 at the right are shown in the positions they would occupy at these particular locations and are shown with the channels in the posts facing each other. The side of the post in phantom seen at the right of the saw horse facing the observer in FIG. 1 is that side of the left post 10 opposite the hand crank 42. The hand crank 42 is not shown in the phantom post in FIG. 1 because it is on the opposite side of this phantom post. FIG. 8 is an end view of FIG. 1 as seen from the right-hand side of FIG. 1 when the post 10 occupies the position shown in phantom in FIG. 1.

The purpose in having the saw-horse capable of supporting a post 10 at either end of the horse is to enable the posts to raise the panel support arm 16 to different levels. In the position of the post 10 at the left of the saw-horse, the bottom 55 of the post rests on top of shelf 54. In the position of the post 10 shown in phantom at the right of the horse, and as seen in FIG. 8 the bottom of the post rests on the floor or ground below the shelf, and it is the uppermost of the two hooks 44 which, in this location, enters the slot in the top across board of the sawhorse, in contrast to the left location where the lowermost of the two hooks 44 enters the slot in the top cross board. In this way, there can be obtained a difference of 1 to 2 feet in height between the upper ends of the posts 10 depending upon whether the post is mounted on the left side or the right side of the saw-horse.

To enable a plank or platform to be placed at adjustable heights above the saw-horse so as to provide a scaffold, as shown in FIG. 4, for supporting a workman, the saw-horse is provided with a pair of oppositely disposed metallic U-shaped channel members into which slidably fit, in a snug manner, angle irons 62 which are firmly connected together by metallic cross-braces or members 64 to form a rugged integral frame movable vertically, upward or downward. The U-shaped channels 60 are permanently fastened in any suitable manner to the horizontal element 58 and the shelf 54, preferably as shown with the upper edges of the channel members terminating at the upper surface of the horizontal members 59. The bottom of the slidable frame in its lowermost position will rest on the floor or ground, and in this position the top of this slidable frame can be flush with the upper surface of the top horizontal element 59 of the saw-horse.

When the frame constituted by angle irons 62 and its cross-braces 64 is raised to a desired height it can be locked in this position by placing a block of wood of proper size between a cross-brace and the top of the horizontal member 59. In FIG. 4, the wall board panel to be lifted is identified by reference numeral 57.

FIG. 5 shows a removable material supporting accessory frame 66 adapted to be placed upon the panel support arm 16 when the arm 16 is in the horizontal position, for supporting sheet material such as a wall board panel 55. This frame 66 constitutes an integral unit and is composed of a rectangular construction 66 of four metallic sides firmly welded or riveted to one another and mounted on a U-shaped metallic channel member 68. The frame 66 may, if desired, be a single solid imperforate sheet. This accessory frame enables a single hoist in accordance with the invention to be used by a workman to lift and hold material at a desired height without the need for a scaffolding construction as shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 shows another type of removable material supporting accessory metallic frame 70 adapted to be placed upon the panel support arm 16 when the arm 16 is in the horizontal position. The angular fork-type arms of the frame 70 lend themselves to supporting a pipe 72 shown in phantom, or a V-shaped holder for mortar or bricks commonly required in the building trade. Here again, the frame 79 is provided at its bottom with a U-shaped channel member for engaging the panel support arm 16.

FIG. 7 illustrates how the hollow post or mast 10 of the invention can be supported by brackets 73 mounted on a conventional collapsible ladder 74. The post of this figure is identical with the post of FIG. 1 except for the omission of the hooks 44 and 46 which may not be required. The bottom of the post 10 is adapted to rest on the floor or ground.

In one embodiment of the invention which was constructed and satisfactorily utilized, the post 10, the angle irons associated therewith, the saw-horse and its associated elements, and the frames 66 and 70 were all made from aluminum. It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular form or shape of the post 10 as shown and that other embodiments of the invention may use suitable supports other than a sawhorse or ladder.

I claim:

1. A material handling hoist comprising a vertical hollow post having a longitudinal slot therein, an elongated member arranged parallel to said post and movable with in said slot, an elongated panel support arm pivotally secured at one end to a point near the upper end of said member, a foldable brace hingedly connected to said elongated member and to said panel support arm for locking said panel support arm in the horizontal position or for collapsing said panel support arm adjacent to and parallel to said post, means for releasably retaining said panel support arm in any position over the range of heights over which said elongated member can be moved, and a saw-horse for removably firmly supporting said post near one end thereof in the vertical position, said saw-horse having intermediate the ends thereof a relatively wide slot in which a sturdy frame is movable vertically for supporting a plank over a range of heights and on which a workman can stand.

2. A hoist in accordance with claim 1, wherein said saw-horse has oppositely disposed metallic channel members at opposite ends of the slot therein, said frame comprising angle irons slidable in said channel members and firmly secured to each other by metallic braces.

3. A portable material handling hoist comprising a vertical hollow post having a longitudinal slot therein, an elongated member arranged parallel to said post and movable within said slot, an elongated panel support arm pivotally secured at one end to a point near the upper end of said member, a foldable brace hingedly connected to said elongated member and to said panel support arm for locking said panel support arm in the horizontal position or for collapsing said panel support arm adjacent to and parallel to said post, means for releasably retaining said panel support arm in any position over the range of heights over which said elongated member can be moved, and means including a support for releasably retaining the lower portion of said post in the vertical position, said last means being responsive to a vertical force exerted by a person in an upward direction for lifting said post free from said last support, the support of said last means being a saw-horse having a top fiat horizontal member provided with a narrow longitudinally arranged slot, said horse including a transverse brace below said horizontal member, said transverse brace having an aperture for enabling a portion of the post to pass therethrough, said post having attached thereto a hook which is adapted to enter said slot in the horizontal member of said saw-horse when said post has passed through said aperture.

4. A portable material handling hoist comprising a vertical hollow post having a longitudinal slot therein, an elongated member arranged parallel to said post and movable within said slot, an elongated panel support arm pivotally secured at one end to a point near the upper end of said member, a foldable brace hingedly connected to said elongated member and to said panel support arm for locking said panel support arm in the horizontal position or for collapsing said panel support arm adjacent to and parallel to said post, means for releasably retaining said panel support arm in any position over the range of heights over which said elongated member can be moved, and means including a support for releasably retaining the lower portion of said post in the vertical position, said last means being responsive to a vertical force exerted by a person in an upward direction for lifting said post free from said last support, the support of said last means being a saw-horse having a top flat horizontal member provided with a narrow longitudinally arranged slot, said horse including a transverse brace below said horizontal member, said transverse brace having an aperture for enabling a portion of the post to pass therethrough, said post having attached thereto a hook which is adapted to enter said slot in the horizontal member of said sawhorse when said post has passed through said aperture, said saw-horse including an elevated shelf below said transverse bra'ce and on which the bottom of said post is adapted to rest.

5. A portable material handling hoist comprising a vertical hollow post having a longitudinal slot therein, an elongated member arranged parallel to said post and movable within said slot, an elongated panel sup port arm pivotally secured at one end to a point near the upper end of said member, a foldable brace hingedly connected to said elongated member and to said panel support arm for locking said panel support arm in the horizontal position or for collapsing said panel support arm adjacent to and parallel to said post, means for releasably retaining said panel support arm in any position over the range of heights over which said elongated member can be moved, and means including a support for releasably retaining the lower portion of said post in the vertical position, said last means being responsive to a vertical force exerted by a person in an upward direction for lifting said post free from said last support, the support of said last means being a saw-horse having a top fiat horizontal member provided with a pair of spaced narrow longitudinally arranged slots near opposite ends of the horse, said post having attached thereto a pair of vertically spaced hooks, one of said hooks being adapted to enter one of said slots when said post is supported near one end of said horse, the other of said hooks being adapted to enter the other of said slots when said post is supported near the other end of said horse.

6. A portable material handling hoist comprising a vertical hollow post having a longitudinal slot therein, an elongated member arranged parallel to said post and movable within said slot, an elongated panel support arm pivotally secured at one end to a point near the upper end of said member, a foldable brace hingedly connected to said elongated member and to said panel support arm for locking said panel support arm in the horizontal position or for collapsing said panel support arm adjacent to and parallel to said post, means for releasably retaining said panel support arm in any position over the range of heights over which said elongated member can be moved,

and means including a support for releasably retaining the lower portion of said post in the vertical position, said last means being responsive to a vertical force exerted by a person in an upward direction for lifting said post free from said last support, the support of said last means being a saw-horse having a top fiat horizontal member provided with a pair of spaced narrow longitudinally arranged slots near opposite ends of the horse, said post having attached thereto a pair of vertically spaced hooks one of said hooks being adapted to enter one of said slots when said post is supported near one end of said horse, the other of said hooks being adapted to enter the other of said slots when said post is supported near the other end of said horse, said sawhorse being provided with a sturdy frame supported between said slots, said frame being movable vertically for supporting a plank over a range of heights and on which a workman can stand.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 402,175 Maurer Apr. 30, 1889 1,558,636 Rutan Oct. 27, 1925 1,861,191 Russell May 31, 1932 2,010,588 Gooden Aug. 6, 1935 2,167,157 Muehlberg July 25, 1939 2,222,078 Kroeger Nov. 19, 1940 2,257,876 Berchem Oct. 7, 1941 2,815,251 Stone Dec. 3, 1957 2,832,479 Ottaway Apr. 29, 1958 2,882,100 Bank Apr. 14, 1959 3,018,842 Abreil Jan. 30, 1962 

1. A MATERIAL HANDLING HOIST COMPRISING A VERTICAL HOLLOW POST HAVING A LONGITUDINAL SLOT THEREIN, AN ELONGATED MEMBER ARRANGED PARALLEL TO SAID POST AND MOVABLE WITHIN SAID SLOT, AN ELONGATED PANEL SUPPORT ARM PIVOTALLY SECURED AT ONE END TO A POINT NEAR THE UPPER END OF SAID MEMBER, A FOLDABLE BRACE HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID ELONGATED MEMBER AND TO SAID PANEL SUPPORT ARM FOR LOCKING SAID PANEL SUPPORT ARM IN THE HORIZONTAL POSITION OR FOR COLLAPSING SAID PANEL SUPPORT ARM ADJACENT TO AND PARALLEL TO SAID POST, MEANS FOR RELEASABLY RETAINING SAID PANEL SUPPORT ARM IN ANY POSITION OVER THE RANGE OF HEIGHTS OVER WHICH SAID ELONGATED MEMBER CAN BE MOVED, 